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Year in and year out, EA Sports continues to pump out improved
versions of its tried-and-true sports franchises, and this year
is no exception with the arrival of "NCAA Football 13," available
tomorrow (July 10) for $60 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Though not as big an innovation as last year's "NCAA Football
12," this collegiate favorite continues to push the franchise
forward with a number of new tweaks and additions.

With new quarterback animations, the elimination of those
annoying “blind swats” by defensive players and plenty of hot
route options, you’ll have no trouble hooking up strong passes
and runs for an end zone completion – unless you’re playing as an
underperforming team, of course. (You’re bound to find one of
many NCAA favorite teams within the game here.)

There are times when the opposing team's defenders are a bit too
smart in reading your receiver routes, but overall this is a
smooth-playing game of football.

New this year is a Heisman Mode, where you can play as one of 12
winners from previous years, guiding them through a championship
season. It’s good to see Barry Sanders and a few others in their
classic uniforms again.

Modes making a return here include the Road To Glory, where you
guide a player from high school to a college career, and Online
Dynasty, where you can challenge friends through Xbox Live or
PlayStation Network to contests and customized seasons.

The graphics do show some signs of strain here and there (mainly
with repeated camera angles and weak-looking crowds from a
distance), but the player animations are exciting, the replays
resemble those from TV broadcasts and the authentic fields and
celebrations for each team are quite dazzling. [ NBA
2K13 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 ]

On the audio side, Brad Nessler and Kirk Herbstreit once again
provide a good commentary for each play, though sometimes their
timing can be off. The other effects, including rambunctious
crowd noise and dynamic themes for each school, capture the
spirit of college football just about perfectly.

While "NCAA Football 13" can’t quite innovate as much as last
year's game-changing "NCAA Football 12," there’s no question it's
still one of the better games in town, especially with its robust
content and fun gameplay. After all, you need something to play
until "Madden NFL 13" comes out next month.